House Republicans' Shameful Diversion Techniques

Floor Speech

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago, President Obama and the Democratic Congress took office. When they took office in January of 2009, the economy was in free fall, and we were losing 800,000 jobs a month--losing 800,000 jobs a month, but the Congress went to work, and under the guidance of President Obama, we passed the American Recovery Act, we saved the American automobile industry, and within 14 months, we were gaining 250,000 jobs a month. We turned around over 1 million jobs a month, from losing 800,000 to gaining 250,000 in 14 months.

The President knew that that wasn't sufficient to continue the progress, so he proposed the American Jobs Act, and he proposed a major investment in American infrastructure. But the newly-elected Republican Congress--the obstructionist Republican Congress--stopped the American Jobs Act, wouldn't pass the infrastructure bill, and stopped every job initiative the President and Democrats proposed, and we have had a slow recovery from that recession.

We are gaining about 200,000 to 250,000 jobs a month. It is up a little, and that is good, but our economy is about $2 trillion below its productive capacity, below what it should be because every proposal from the President has been stopped by the Republican Congress, which shouldn't have time for it, but they had time for other things.

We had plenty of time to take 50 votes on repealing the Affordable Care Act at a cost to the taxpayers of about $79 million to repeat that vote 50 times. We had time for the Republicans to shut down the government. That cost the economy about $24 billion.

We had time when the administration knew that the Defense of Marriage Act could not be defended in court, the House of Representatives wasted $3.5 million trying to defend the indefensible in court and lost in front of the Supreme Court. We have had, in that time, no minimum wage increase, no extended unemployment insurance, and no pay equity for women because it costs too much money. This House has passed $850 billion in unpaid-for tax loopholes for large corporations--unpaid for.

Now, they want to waste more money. The Speaker wants to waste more money on a meritless lawsuit against the President for not taking care that the law be faithfully executed.

What did he do? In implementing the Affordable Care Act--which the Republicans have tried to repeal 50 times--he postponed implementation of one provision by a year--a provision the Republicans opposed, so they now want to waste money to go into court and sue the President to say he had no power to postpone this for a year, even though no one opposed President Bush when he postponed for a year a provision of the Medicare drug act when he was President.

It is well within the discretion of Presidents, in implementing a law, to postpone parts of it in order to get it done right. That has been very clear, and it becomes another question. Let's assume the Republicans went into court and overturned the standing question that Mr. Butterfield talked about--which they will not--what is the remedy they seek?

By the time it got to court, that provision will have been implemented, so the Republicans want to waste $5 million or $6 million of taxpayers' money to go into court and say, Judge, order the President to implement what has been already implemented--totally ridiculous.

So what have we got? We have got a Congress with no highway bill, no minimum wage bill, no unemployment extension bill, no pay equity for women bill, no action on campaign finance reform, no action to reduce the burdens of student loans, no action to make sure that women continue to have access to contraceptive services--despite the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decisions--no action on all the emergencies that face the American people, but we are going to waste money on a meritless lawsuit that will go nowhere, but simply will serve the single function of diverting attention from all the real problems the House Republicans want to continue to ignore.

That is not a proper use of the taxpayers' money, more wasted money for political purposes--for shame.

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